Sherlock: Cunning Scheme
by ChloeIsVictorious
Summary: It was 20 years since Beth had left London's countryside and settled down in Cambridge. She had gained so much in London, and for what? To lose it all? Obviously 20 years is a long time, and she was young when she left but that did not stop her from constantly missing the one person who she loved the most. Sherlock Holmes. Now Beth is back and her life will never be the same.
1. New Scotland Yard

_So this is only a short chapter to start off the story._

_Happy reading :3_

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**New Scotland Yard**

20 years. 20 years since Beth had left London's countryside and settled down in Cambridge. She had gained so much in London, and for what? To lose it all? Obviously 20 years is a long time, and she was young when she left (8 years old in fact), but that did not stop her from constantly missing the one person who she loved the most.

Sherlock.

See, Sherlock and Beth became friends through their parents friendship and they were almost inseparable. Beth saw Sherlock like a big brother who was there to protect her and to always be there for her. But not only that, Beth was also there for Sherlock when he was bullied at school for being... odd. She knew that Sherlock was like no other kid in school, he was different. Different was a good thing in Beth's eyes. Different means individuality, and Sherlock was certainly an individual.

Leaving London was heart breaking for Beth. Not only was she leaving her home, but she was also leaving Sherlock. She knew it would upset him, to what extent though? She had no idea. But she hoped that one day, he would forgive her. Hopefully, they could meet again.

Now that Beth was 28, and she had passed all her degrees in programming and computer science, she thought it was only right to go back to the big city and get a well paid job in New Scotland Yard within the I.T specialists department. Finally being in her previous home town, she felt it was a blast from the past. Everywhere seemed the same yet.. different. Certain things were changing like certain shops were replaced by other shops and the signs were certainly different. Yet it felt the same, it was the same place. Many memories were made in London. Memories she could not forget and she wanted to keep a firm hold of.

However, the memories that she relived soon subsided when she was sat in the waiting room of New Scotland Yard, awaiting the news of her future career. She had given in her CV, had an interview and had a test. Currently she was waiting for the results, and to see whether she had got the job or was to be sent away.

"Ms Mcneill? Would you like to follow me?"

Nervousness hit Beth as she heard the woman's voice absorb into her ears. She stood up shakily, her whole body shook but she tried her best to control the nervousness and to keep herself calm. The woman casually led her towards the managers office as though she does it everyday. As though New Scotland Yard got many people wanting jobs there. Once the door opened and she was invited inside by a droopy faced old man, the shaking became uncontrollable.

**The next day**

Beth sat at her new desk, her macbook rested upon it unopened. She took a deep breath, treasuring the moment as she had a job that was worth the time and effort she went through to get where she was now. Although the first day was pretty boring, she had to be shown some of the basic jobs that usually happened in her line of work by a woman whose voice was so draining that it made her want to deafen herself. All day she had to listen to the same flat toned voice, she was relieved when she was entitled to her lunch break or when she got the chance to chat to some more cheerful folk.

Through the rising conversations, she got to meet many lovely people who worked alongside her. Most of them began to talk of someone who came in regularly because of a person named Detective Inspector Lestrade. They spoke of his strange and overwhelmingly amazing mind. To Beth, it reminded her very much of Sherlock as soon as they said about their amazing mind. Sherlock had an amazing mind, in fact, he used to blow her away by the things he used to come out with. He used to deduce exactly what she was hiding if she was ever to keep a secret or keep something from Sherlock. It was truly fascinating.

"What is his name again Will?"

"Ah, he has a strange name..."

"It's Sherlock Holmes, he was mentioned in the newspaper last week," Immediately by the mention of Sherlock's name, Beth froze.

"S-Sherlock works here?" Beth asked, her voice was fast with excitement and her eyes were unusually large.

"No, he doesn't. He comes in when he is needed by the detectives who work in New Scotland Yard. We've heard that Sherlock calls himself a Consulting Detective. He is truly the best detective anyone has seen!" Everyone began to converse with each other about Sherlock, the conversations were like heaven to Beth's ears. Her head fell into her hands and a small smile slowly crept onto her face. He has gone far, and made a good impression of himself, she was happy for him and hopefully they would meet soon. Finally then, she could have her childhood friend close to her side once again.


	2. The Investigation Of The Voice

_So second part guys! Enjoy!_

_:3_

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**The Investigation Of The Voice**

Working for a week at New Scotland Yard was found to be interesting, but Beth felt it lacked the excitement that she thought she would encounter. There were no crime investigation jobs or exciting new assignments she was given. It was nothing but taking calls, typing the information into the computer, locating callers destinations and faxing the information to the investigators. She wasn't going to complain because in the end, a job was a job and as long as she had her wages, she wasn't bothered what she had to do.

On the Friday morning during her first week, she had heard rumours that someone had attempted to steal the crown jewels, break into the vault at the Bank of England and break out inmates at the Pentonville Prison. A lot of commotion occurred through out Scotland Yard, many colleagues saying that it was a terrorist attack. But Beth knew that not even terrorists are capable of breaking into places like a vault.

Detective Sergeant Sally Donovan, a woman Beth had grown to dislike during her time at her new job, rushed into the office of the many IT Technicians, asking for someone to come and investigate the security footage of the recent crime that had occurred. Immediately Beth stood up nervously but with determination to prove herself. Her boss nodded.

"Fine, you can go Beth. Show us what you can do,"

"Thank you sir," Quickly, she grabbed her macbook and her coat, then walked over to Sally Donovan who then led her out the building to the police car. On the way to the Tower Of London, Beth couldn't quite get over that she was within a police car as an investigator, NOT as someone who had been arrested. Quite frankly, Beth was enjoying the experience. As they drove by London's strenuous city life, she couldn't help but notice how no one seemed to be bothered that police cars were wondering around. When she lived in Cambridge, many people stared at police cars wondering who was inside or where they were off to.

The purring of the car stopped as Donovan turned the car engine off. The entrance to the Tower Of London was closed off with crime scene investigation tape to stop tourists from entering. Police Officers were outside either writing notes in investigation forms or just simply guarding the area. One Police man lifted the tape to allow both women into the investigation site, and Beth was led inside. Inside was no longer bustling with tourists, but now bustling with detectives and police officers. She was led further in, where she saw a man with grey hair standing outside the security room, waiting.

"Ah you must be the new IT technician, I don't believe I've met you yet. I am Detective Inspector Lestrade," the Detective held out his hand towards Beth who, with no hesitation, took it and shook his hand.

"It's a pleasure to be given the opportunity to show my boss what I can do," She smiled and walked into the security room. Once inside, she saw the screens that surveyed all the different locations within the tourist attraction. On one of the screens was the crown jewels which had been broken into. Glass shards were all over the floor around the crown jewels and the crown itself was no longer on the chair.

"All we ask of you is to see if you can figure out how he shut down all the security cameras," with a nod, Beth began looking into the data of the security camera. Lestrade stood behind, watching her work her magic as she swiftly looked through the data, but eventually broke the silence as he asked her if she wanted a hot drink. With a nod and a thank you from Beth, he went into the kitchen, leaving Beth alone to carry on with her work.

A minute or two had gone, and Lestrade had not yet returned. But the door opened and two men walked in. Beth looked at the men who came into the room and immediately recognised the curly dark brown hair and the sky blue eyes that she had grown up with. Her own eyes widened and she looked at the screens of the cameras. Frozen, she hardly noticed that the curly haired man had spoken to her.

"Hello? Can you please show me the footage before Moriarty broke into the glass box?"

"Huh? Oh yeah," she was dumbstruck. She would have never of thought that she would meet him at a crime investigation scene. Out of all places. She re-winded the footage to the moment when the criminal had walked into the room of the crown jewels, and even though she was seemingly looking at the screen, she wasn't actually paying attention as she could only think of Sherlock. Many thoughts ran through her head like:

_He is here! We can be friends again!_

_But what if he is mad at me? I mean I did leave a day before his birthday..._

_I hadn't heard from him in 20 years._

_Oh god he's going to hate me!_

"Zoom in onto his phone," Sherlock demanded, his voice was so casual but held a very dominant tone that made her realise that he was not one to be messing around with. She did as he said but when she had finally zoomed in, she saw that the image was pixelated and that it was impossible to make out what was upon the phone screen.

"If only we could see what was on the phone," the other man sighed, followed by Sherlock's grunt. Beth then had a brilliant idea that she thought would no doubt impress her boss. Without turning her head so that Sherlock could see her, she spoke.

"How about I enhance it on my laptop?"

"Can you do that?" asked Sherlock's partner, but without replying, she began to hook up her macbook to the security computer. Once it was connected, she took the data from the security computer and used her IT intelligence to enhance the image to make the phone clear enough to see what was upon it. All the while, Sherlock was staring at Beth, curious as to why he recognised her. Her voice seemed very familiar to him, but he couldn't put a finger on it.

"Here," she had finally finished enhancing the image, and the image was almost as sharp as the eye could see. Sherlock walked over to the laptop and knelt down to look at the image. He saw that the phone had a crown upon it, and with a frown he sighed.

"A crown, interesting," he looked towards Beth, hoping to notice who she was, but even when he looked at her face, he still couldn't place it. Beth tried not to make eye contact with Sherlock so she looked at the image on her macbook then began making notes on what she has discovered. She could feel Sherlock's stare which made her extremely uncomfortable. In a way, she wanted him to recognise her, but she was afraid of his reaction.

"Sherlock, are we done?" the man asked Sherlock, who in response, stood up and nodded. The man thanked Beth but Sherlock left without saying a word. Soon as she was free from his stare, she sighed in utter relief. She printed out the enhanced image of the phone before disconnecting the macbook from the computer. Lestrade came back and handed her the cup of coffee which she took a small sip of.

"So what have we found?" he said. Beth pointed to the printed image that remained on the printer. Lestrade walked over and looked at the image, his eyebrows furrowed in the process. Clearly he did not make any sense of it but Sherlock certainly did.

"This is certainly interesting, but I don't see how this would shut down the security cameras. We would have to see what Sherlock thinks of it,"

"I'm sure he would figure it out,"

Finally, when all the paper work and the investigation was done, Beth was allowed to go home. She was glad that she had been allowed to be the one to investigate the crime scene footage, due to being able to show what she is capable of and, of course, because she got to meet Sherlock after so long. Yet she felt that meeting him was going to be a bad thing, lucky for her, he didn't recognise her.

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_Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I hope you do too Beth ;) finally got to meet Sherlock and John!_


	3. Trial Of The Consulting Criminal

**_Hi so Chapter 3, I spent a lot of time thinking about this chapter but not so much time to write it so I do apologise, please forgive me. Don't kill me! _**

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**Trial Of The Consulting Criminal**

The weekend had past eventlessly, Beth had spent most of her time looking over the video of the criminal committing his crime. She observed the way he danced around the room before smashing the glass into hundreds of shards and thinking just how ingenious his plan was. He was very precise and well equipped, seeming as he had a diamond with him to smash the glass. But what intrigued her more was the little message he left. Get Sherlock. And who was the message to? Many more questions ran through Beth's mind. Also she was a little concerned for what this might mean, concerned for Sherlock's safety. However, she did not know if Sherlock had encountered this man before and if this was his first offence or not. So eventually she closed her macbooks screen down and got up from her sofa.

It was coming on late in the afternoon when she had received a text on her phone.

_Hello, this is Lestrade. Could you come in a little earlier tomorrow? I need to have a word with you in my office._

_-GL_

Beth froze a little. She always got nervous when messages like that were sent to her. She never knew if she was in trouble or not.

_Sure. I'll be there at 7:30._

_-BM_

By morning, Beth was up and ready, dressed in a green floaty top and black trousers. She was nervous and unsure of what to expect from Lestrade. She hoped she had not lost her job over what she had done on that Friday. In fact she was positive that it wasn't something that would cost her her job.

She had caught a cab to New Scotland Yard and immediately headed over to Lestrade's office. Lightly she knocked on the door and entered, seeing that Lestrade had a smile on his face and nothing looked job threatening.

"Ah Beth, please sit," he gestured to the chair in front of his desk. Calmly, and feeling slightly relieved that things were looking more promising and Lestrade himself seemed quite cheerful, Beth sat on the chair and smiled at the detective inspector.

"I would like to ask you if you would like to accompany me and some others to the court session of Jim Moriarty? All I would want you to do is to see if he gives any hints of how he got past security of the 3 locations," Beth, without any hesitation, nodded at his request. She was already intrigued by the man she saw in the video. To see him in real life was extremely tempting for her. Also to actually investigate the way he behaves and the things he says to get hints was something she was looking forward to.

"Oh and before you go, let me just tell you that Jim Moriarty is very intimidating and slightly..."

The door swung open behind her, her head snapped around to see that Sherlock and his partner had walked into Lestrade's office. Sherlock had on a Belstaff coat and a blue scarf, underneath he had a suit on. Then she looked over to his partner who seemed to stand in a very militarily way, wearing jeans and a black jacket.

"You texted me?" Sherlock's baritone voice questioned.

"Yes, the lawyer wants you to speak during the court case, you know, answer a few questions about how you met him and stuff?" Sherlock gave a slight grunt, then shortly after gave Lestrade a slight nod. He was about to walk out the room until his eyes met Beth's.

**2 days before**

His fingers were pressed against his lips as he laid on the sofa, wondering the corridors of his mindpalace. Every corner he took, his eyes would meet with the girl black fringed hair and blue eyes, from the Tower Of London. Sure, he recognised her, but she wasn't relevant, so he brushed her away.

Half an hour had passed and still the girl was following him, appearing in every corridor he turned into. So finally he had given up and stopped in front of her. She walked into a room that led to more corridors, and Sherlock followed her. She began to run, and so he chased after her bursting into a room that was blinding with light. Sherlock covered his eyes, but as the doors closed behind him, the room darkened and revealed the room from his childhood. Little Sherlock walked around the room, looking for something. He looked behind one sofa, the curtains, then smirked and began to creep up to the other sofa across to the other side of the room. Sherlock followed his little self and as his head slowly looked down the back of the sofa, a girlish scream appeared. A girl with bright blonde hair jumped out from the back of the sofa and ran around the room.

"Beth calm down now," said a low pitched toned voice that came from a man in the other room.

Sherlock's eyes widened. He suddenly came out of his mind palace and he now entered 221B with John sat in his chair reading the newspaper.

"Beth," Sherlock whispered as he stared up at the ceiling. All memories came flooding back. Memories that he had classed as junk a long while ago. However he could never fully delete them from his memory. Eventhough he would not admit it, those memories were precious to him.

"What was that Sherlock?" John asked as he heard Sherlock mumble.

"Nothing,"

* * *

"John, Lestrade, please excuse me and Beth for a second," Sherlock said sharply as he grabbed Beth's arm tightly and pulled her from the chair, out of the room. Beth gasped at the sudden action and the force he used upon her. Also she was surprised that he recognised her finally. She couldn't look Sherlock in the eyes, so she kept her head down.

"So I see you're back,"

"Er, yeah, got a new job here," Shifting from one foot to the other, Beth responded with her quiet voice. Her hand began to rub her arm which Sherlock noticed and knew that she was nervous.

"Why are you back? Really?"

When Beth didn't respond back, Sherlock sighed and put his hands on her shoulders, shaking her slightly.

"Beth! Why are you back? After all this time and you choose to come now!" Beth was taken back by his reaction. She had never seen Sherlock show such emotion of anger towards her before, not even when he was young. She froze in thought of why exactly she was here. Not because she wanted this job, but the real reason. And it finally dawned on her.

"I... I missed you, I missed London, my old life. If I could turn back time I would. But my dad got a job in Cambridge and we just had to drop everything and go... I'm sorry Sherlock, I wish I could have said goodbye," her eyes finally lifted to his, and she saw the pain that were in his eyes. His arms fell to his side and he looked away.

"Yes well, you can't go back in time so, I guess your wish is pointless..."

"Sherlock, I've just apologi..."

"You don't realise what happened while you were gone. And I'm not wasting my breath explaining," Sherlock stormed into Lestrade's office, and then came back out with John following his tail.

"Sherlock. Wait," But Sherlock ignored Beth and was out of the room before she could say anymore.

Sherlock stopped as soon as he was out of the room and closed his eyes tight. His emotions were getting the better of him and he knew what he just said to Beth was going to play on his mind for a long time. He wasn't going to kid himself, he had missed Beth and when he realised that she was his childhood friend, he felt a spark light within him. But he was angry with her for leaving him, and he immediately chose that to express his feelings. To express the pain that he had experienced. His eyes shot open and met with John's confused face.

"Are you OK Sherlock?" Sherlock's immediate reaction was to put on a plain face and continue walking, but inside, he was not OK.

**1 week later**

Beth took her seat in the court room that held many people for the major crime that this man 'James Moriarty' had committed. She looked around in amazement at the room, feeling intimidated by it's size and it's purpose. By then she had only just noticed that the man in front of her was Sherlock's partner, so she felt inclined to introduce herself after the episode she had with Sherlock about a week ago. Softly, she tapped his shoulder to gain his attention. As soon as he turned around, he realised who it was and gave her a smile.

"Beth right?"

"Uh huh, Beth Mcneill, Sherlock's childhood friend," She reached out her hand towards his which he took almost immediately.

"Pleasure to meet you, I'm John Watson, Sherlock's flatmate,"

Beth and John sat talking as they waited for the trial to begin, they spoke about how Sherlock and John and how Sherlock and Beth met and basically, everything to do with either themselves or Sherlock. But as soon as someone began to ask for the court room to be silent, their attention focused on the arrival of the judge. She began to search the room for Sherlock himself, finding him near the front in the witness area.

Then thats when he arrived. A man with dark hair slick back from his face, and eyes that held the darkest abyss she had ever seen. He wore a light grey suit that fit his figure perfectly. He was purely captivating in her eyes. She couldn't take her eyes off of him. His eyes sucked her in and she saw every dark thought that ran through his mind.

She felt eyes burn through her skin as the feeling of being watched crept over her. She turned her gaze towards the criminal and her skin turned red when she saw that he was watching her. Watching her every move. His eyes manipulated her and eventually she began to stare back. Their gaze went on for the majority of the trial until finally Moriarty was found not guilty.

"Huh, not guilty... wait what? Not guilty?" Beth's mesmerizing wore off and finally she came down to reality.

"How the hell did he get not guilty without any witnesses?" John shrugged and Beth watched as the dark eyed man got took away from the court room.


	4. Long Live The King

_There was a bit of a cock up with the chapters, I apologise. They are now sorted out and in the right order. _

_Enjoy :3_

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**Long Live The King**

"Got to the jury, of course." Sherlock asked as he prepared himself his own cup of tea after giving the other cup to Moriarty. Wearing his light grey suit, Moriarty sat comfortably in Sherlock's chair sipping the cup of tea that was offered to him.

"I got into the Tower of London; you think I can't worm my way into twelve hotel rooms?" he watched as Sherlock remained on his feet as he stirred the milk into his tea with a teaspoon. The Consulting Detective's eyes bored into the criminals.

"Cable network,"

"Every hotel bedroom has a personalised TV screen ..." Sherlock unbuttoned his jacket and sat down into John's cushioned chair, unconsciously mimicking the man seated opposite him, their dexterous minds alike. He listened to Moriarty as he explained exactly how he got to the jury. He wasn't surprised, in fact, it was simple enough that even he would think of it.

" ... and every person has their pressure point; someone that they want to protect from harm," many names ran through Sherlock's head as he thought of the many people he was trying to protect from the man in front of him, and slowly, the list was expanding. Sherlock internally shook himself when he realised that he was adding a greater risk of weakness if he continues to expand that list.

"Easy-peasy,"

"So how're you going to do it ..." he pointedly blew gently on his tea. His eyes, bluer than the daylight sky, never left Moriarty as though he did not want to miss a single chance of deducing such a complicating man.

"... burn me?"

"Oh, that's the problem – the final problem. Have you worked out what it is yet?" Jim said softly, his eyesbrows raising slightly. Sherlock took a small sip of his tea and looked across his cup to the other man opposite him.

"What's the final problem? I did tell you ... but did you listen?" he sang softly and took another sip of his tea before placing his cup down onto the saucer. He put his hand onto his knee and idly drummed his fingers. Sherlock, with watchful eyes, lowered to watch Moriarty's fingers, taking in each pause and tap that he did.

"How hard do you find it, having to say "I don't know"?" Sherlock put his cup into its saucer and shrugged before nonchalantly replied.

"I dunno."

"Oh, that's clever; that's very clever; awfully clever," Jim chuckled, amused by Sherlock's answer. Sherlock smiled humorously while he put the cup and saucer back onto the tray.

"Speaking of clever, have you told your little friends yet?" The detective put his fingers together and placed them under his chin. His mind slowly led him to Beth once Jim had mentioned 'friends'. All emotions came to his head and heart, knowing that he had upset Beth and in doing so, he had upset himself.

"Told them what?"

"Why I broke into all those places and never took anything,"

"No"

"But you understand,"

"Obviously," Sherlock gave Moriarty a short nod, his eyes never looking away from those of the Consulting Criminals. Moriarty glared back and could see Sherlock's emotions pour out of him, knowing that he had hit his pressure point when he mentioned friends.

"Off you go, then" he carved a piece off his apple and puts it into his mouth with the flat of his penknife. His tongue ran across his lips after swallowing the piece of the apple.

"You want me to tell you what you already know?"

" No; I want you to prove that you know it."

" You didn't take anything because you don't need to."

"Good," He softly replied.

"You'll never need to take anything ever again,"

"Very good. Because ...?"

"Because nothing ..." Both of the consultants eyes met and remained captured.

"...nothing in the Bank of England, the Tower of London or Pentonville Prison could possibly match the value of the key that could get you into all three," Sherlock chanted, not taking a single breath.

"I can open any door anywhere with a few tiny lines of computer code. No such thing as a private bank account now – they're all mine. No such thing as secrecy – I own secrecy. Nuclear codes – I could blow up NATO in alphabetical order. In a world of locked rooms, the man with the key is king; and honey, you should see me in a crown," His voice croaked with a hint of delight and a smirk crept onto his lips. Amused, he went back to the feeling of wearing the crown and being surrounded by such royal objects that it felt almost natural. Natural as he was dressed in riches beyond belief. Historical objects that he would wear all day if he could. But for now, wearing them briefly like he did would do.

"You were advertising all the way through the trial. You were showing the world what you can do,"

"And you were helping. Big client list: rogue governments, intelligence communities ... terrorist cells. They all want me. Suddenly, I'm Mr Sex," he lifted another piece of apple to his mouth with the penknife and chewed slowly, ensuring that he could taste the juiciness of the fruit.

"If you could break any bank, what do you care about the highest bidder?" Sherlock frowned slightly.

"I don't. I just like to watch them all competing. "Daddy loves me the best!" Aren't ordinary people adorable? Well, you know: you've got John. I should get myself a live-in one," His voice drifted as he looked away in thought, his mind turning to his reliable companion Sebastian Moran.

"Why are you doing all of this?" his voice now turning to a slight whisper, Sherlock asked the criminal who was still in thought over having a 'live-in ordinary person'.

"It'd be so funny,"

"You don't want money or power – not really," Jim pierced the apple with his knife.

"What is it all for?" Sitting forward, Jim's voice softened and he began to act slightly concerned.

"I want to solve the problem – our problem; the final problem," he lowered his head, his voice miraculously changed from soft to menacing, his psychotic persona came into play.

"It's gonna start very soon, Sherlock: the fall, but don't be scared. Falling's just like flying, except there's a more permanent destination," Raising his head slowly, he glowered across at Sherlock, who bared his teeth slightly and then stood and buttoned his jacket.

"Never liked riddles," Jim stood up as well and straightened his light grey fitted jacket, locking his gaze onto Sherlock's eyes.

"Learn to. Because I owe you a fall, Sherlock. I ... owe ... you," he continued to gaze at Sherlock, sealing his promise, then slowly turned and walked away. Sherlock didn't move and his eyes wondered over to the apple that Moriarty had left. On it was carved IOU. Before Sherlock could react, Moriarty turned on his heals to face Sherlock.

"Oh and your girl is very pretty, stunning in fact, whats her name?" his eyebrows rose slightly as he questioned Sherlock.

"She is just a hacker,"

"Oh now we both know that isn't quite true," a smirk began to play on Jim's lips, and Sherlock lifted his eyes to meet the gloating Criminal's midnight eyes. Moriarty knew he had hit the pressure point once again, but now he knew exactly who Sherlock's pressure point was. They stared at each other for a while before Moriarty spoke again, his voice lacking interest all of a sudden.

"I guess I will be seeing her at the ball then?"

"Yes,"

"Oh well, I'll make sure I properly introduce myself, goodbye for now Sherlock Holmes," He slowly walked out and shut the door gently. Sherlock stood there, his head in conflict with his heart on whether he should go along with his newly made plans, he knew it would mean putting Beth at risk, and he couldn't do that. Not even after all that she had done in the past.

* * *

Beth gazed upon The Sun Newspaper, aimlessly looking at the criminal who captured her interest from the first glance. She was brought back to the court room, the black eyes drawing her in once again. She blinked, her breath quickened as she was brought back down to reality. Brought back down to the present where that look would probably never happen again. With a sigh, she put down the newspaper and walked into the kitchen. She began to make herself a cup of coffee...

'**quack quack quack'**

Her phone went off and caught her off guard.

_Royal Opera House. Saturday at 7 pm. Wear this._

_-SH_

**'quack quack quack'**

Another message came through, an image linked within it. A white evening gown that looked unique and elegant, like none that Beth has ever seen before. She was almost nervous to wear it. Confused, she typed a message back.

_What is this for and what am I to do?_

_-BM_

**'quack quack quack'**

_John will explain Saturday._

_-SH_

* * *

**Saturday**

A vigorous knock on the door woke Beth up from her dreamless slumber, her groggy morning voice groaned from the interruption of her sleep. With little motivation, she rolled out of bed and slumped over to the front door like a zombie rising from its grave. She knew who to expect but her mind could not process the fact that she may look like shit. A persistent knock rapped on the door, causing Beth to lose her patients.

"UGH For fuck sake John hold on,"

The knocking came to an immediate stop and Beth swung opened the door, revealing her unsatisfied, zombie like self. John was taken back. He had never seen her in this state before, and he wasn't going to lie, it almost scared him. He held a prodigious bag, and a petty black box, but due to Beth's current state, she let that slip her mind.

"Oh... sorry. It's early, but Sherlock would not shut up,"

"Ugh, it's fine, come in," She sighed, rolling her eyes slightly. She led John into her living room, and offered him a cup of tea. After a nod from a slightly unsure John, she went into the kitchen and made a pathetic attempt of a cup of tea.

After relaxing in the temperate shower, waking herself up and readying herself for what the day has to offer, she made her way back into the living room where she gave John a more welcoming smile. He smiled back, a little nervous in case she was still a little groggy. He had to admit, he did not like Beth in the morning, she was a little rude and he surely did not want to mess with her. Her curious blue eyes wondered over to the bag that John entered with, and looked over at John with an intensely inquisitive look, eager to know why she was to be at the Royal Opera House later that day. John saw her curiosity and understood.

"Ah yes. Sherlock wants you to go and attend the ball at the Royal Opera House with Moriarty. He wants you to interrogate him, see what you can get to know about him and how he hacked into the security. You will have an ear piece..." He picked up the small box and held it out towards her. Beth took it and opened the lid, revealing a puny ear piece that was neutral coloured, matched exactly to her skin.

"...so Sherlock can tell you what to say and hear in on the conversation. He also told me to give you this dress,"

"So I am to see what I can get to know about this criminal?"

"He is more than a criminal Beth, he is a Master Mind, a psychopath in fact. Be careful,"


	5. The Royal Opera House

**The Royal Opera House**

Beth felt unusual and uncomfortable in her new dress. It was beautiful, stunning in fact, but she just didn't feel right in it. It was a pure white dress, lacy on the chest and it cascaded down towards the ground like a plummeting waterfall that spread freely as it crashed into the swirling water at the bottom. The back was bare, revealing her soft skin. The way it fell on her made her feel conscious, and she stood awkwardly on the street waiting for the taxi, the cold biting at her pale skin. The wind danced around her, raising the hairs on her arms onto end. She clutched onto her silver bag tight, her hands turned white as snow. The taxi pulled up in front of her and she hopped in, told the driver her destination and he drove off.

She watched as the illuminating city lights blurred into a smear, and she gazed up at the towering buildings that made her feel so small. She had never took note on how grand London actually was, when she was younger she thought it as nothing more than her playground. She rarely visited central London but when she did, she took advantage of the fact that she lived near it and did not respect the fact that people could only dream to visit such a magnificent place.

Her mind then led to Moriarty. She had never actually met him before, she had only stared at him in the court, but now she was to come face to face with him at a ball. It wasn't really what she would have called a usual situation. But then she knew that was the consequences of being involved with Sherlock Holmes. More from her new life was yet to be revealed.

The taxi came to a halt. Outside, prongs of people dressed in elegant dresses and tuxedos strolled across the red carpeted floor and through the glass double doors that was held open by a waiter. Beth, with much uncertainty, stepped out the car and walked over to the glass doors, the waiter handed her a glass of bubbling champagne. The smell whirled up and entered her nose. She was no champagne expert but she knew that it was very expensive just by the rich, sweet smell. One sip and she was sucked into the luxurious drink like into a black hole, the delicious taste welcomed her. Her face relaxed and she took another sip.

A large masculine hand softly rested on the bare skin of her back, sending a shiver down her spine. Her eyes enlarged by the sudden ghost like touch upon her skin. Goosebumps rose on her body. A softened deep voice then spoke, inches away from her ear.

"Gout de Diamants' Taste of Diamonds, one of the most expensive champagnes you could ever drink. Made from 100% grand cru grapes," She froze and without taking his hand away, Moriarty moved around to stand in front of her, his hand now on her waist.

"Moriarty, nice to meet you Miss Mcneill," he leaned in and gave her a small peck on her rosy pink blushing cheeks. She didn't move an inch, the warmth of his sweet breath upon her skin made her feel light headed and her mind clouded. The musky odour of cologne seeped from his skin and misted the air around her.

"_Take note on everything he says, it may be a clue," _A voice from the small ear piece spoke. She had almost forgot that Sherlock was listening in on everything that was being said. She had almost forgot the objective of this _mission_. Already this man had an affect on her, and he merely introduced himself. But it was the way he confidently placed his hand in a place that would be a symbol of friendship - or more- and the way he kissed her cheek. She knew he wasn't normal. No normal man would do that. Or would they? She couldn't remember what normal was anymore.

"So Moriarty, what is your profession?" She began with small talk, nothing like starting small then going big. But even if it was small talk, she was a little unsure what to ask. She had not been one for small talk. Or in fact, talking to strangers was a definite no. Yet there she was, talking to a criminal that she had only just met and that for all she knew, may or may not kill her. But she enjoyed this sense of danger. She liked the adrenaline.

"I'm a specialist, a Consulting Criminal. If you have a problem, I will help to bring justice," his soft irish accent was thick with confidence, as though he was proud of his job and that no one can stop him. Smug. Beth wanted to feel disgusted over what he had said, but there was a little spark in her mind that prevented that. A little spark as if she liked his confidence that emitted from him. He led Beth into a part of the building where the ceiling was just an archway of glass that revealed the sparkling night sky. A champagne bar stood in the middle of the hall, and many people were at the bar preparing glasses of champagne which the waiters then took to hand out. Upon the balconies, people sat at table and chairs, discussing business or pleasure, laughter boomed from their lungs. A band played classical music. A violin, cello, and other instruments played to fill in the silent background noise amongst the buzzing conversations.

"And what about you? What is your profession?"

"I am an IT specialist,"

"Interesting," They walked over to the champagne bar and Moriarty casually leant against the bar's surface. He raised two fingers to the barman who nodded in response. His raven black eyes wandered over to Beth, looked down her body and back up again, a smirk crept up on his face.

"You are looking beautiful Miss Mcneill, the dress really suits your figure,"

Beth was speechless, the compliment took her by surprise as she did not usually get many compliments from people. However, as she looked around, she noticed most eyes wandered down her body from both males and females. It made her feel almost good about herself, yet, uncomfortable by the many eyes that were planted on her. Her skin flustered, her cheeks now pink as a rose. To hide her nervousness while standing awkwardly beside Moriarty, she took a few more sips of her champagne. Her taste buds tingled by the sweet taste of the bubbly drink. Her stomach swirled as the warm sensation took over her body.

A smirk was implanted on Moriarty's lips, smug at the fact that he could make this beautiful, self conscious woman feel flustered over one little compliment. The musicians began to play a song he knew all too well. A song that he used to listen to a lot when he was younger and that he used to dance to with his mother. Gently, he took her hand and pulled her over towards the area where people began to waltz.

"Lets dance, shall we?"

She was about to decline the chance to dance, but was soon in Moriarty's arms. His hand rested on the curve of her waist, slightly pulling her closer. She could feel his breath on her face as he looked deeply into her eyes. His aroma of the musky cologne that she could not quite recognise engulfed the air between them making it harder to concentrate. Each step they took was in sync, she let him lead her along the floor as they wove in and out of the other couples. The moment seemed perfect until a very bored and annoyed voice cleared the silence.

"There is no time to waste, find out how he hacked into the servers now!" Sherlock sighed, and with that, Beth internally shook herself to concentrate on the real aim of why she was here. She cleared her throat slightly and looked away from the raven like eyes that penetrated her concentration.

"So... it was pretty amazing how you caused chaos in 3 places and yet you were only in one," She hinted, but in return, got a smug smirk that she had seem one too many times from him. She urged herself on by internally kicking herself to carry on with the questions.

"How the hell did you do it? Obviously you didn't do it yourself... unless you did... I don't know," A little chuckle escape Moriarty's full lips. With a more rougher pull, he pulled her closer so that their chests met and that his lips were mere inches from hers. Her beating heart almost stopped by the close proximity that they shared. She could feel and taste his sweet breath, she breathed it in and it was like a drug as she became light headed from it's sweetness. He moved slowly so that his lips were to her ear where there was no ear piece.

"I am full of surprises, Miss Mcneill. I'm sure you will find out how I did it soon enough," Beth watched as he backed away and put his hands in his pockets. He made his way out of the grand building, leaving Beth, with her heart beating fast like a drum, with shaken knees and a red complexion that failed to fade.


	6. The Intruder

_Been a long while since I've updated but here you go :) _

_Beth, hope you enjoy this, took me a while to write the ending!_

* * *

**The Intruder**

Monday came slowly. For Beth, the weekend was filled with nothing but thoughts of the close proximity with Moriarty during the ball. Each time the memory of his face so close to hers and the smell of his sweet peppermint like breath that hugged around her nose, she closed her eyes wondering what the hell it was that made her feel so flustered. He was a criminal and an enemy of Sherlock's. She was meant to despise him. Yet there she was. Wanting to writhe under the memories. But she knew she couldn't. She was at work.

She sat up to her desk, her fingers resting on the keyboard of her laptop, but they did not type. Not because she didn't want to, more because she didn't know what to type. Her mind was blank and her face was pale with fatigue. She didn't understand why such an act affected her in such a way. A sigh of frustration escaped her lips as she pushed herself away from the desk and made her way to the office kitchen.

The warming smell of coffee filled her nose as she made her way back to her desk, a cup of coffee in her hand. Once she took a step into the office where her desk lived, she paused, noticing that a tall figure that was familiar to her blue eyes stood by her desk. He turned, his curly locks bouncing slightly to the sudden movement. His face was emotionless as he looked over her. She wore plain black trousers, black pumps and a long sleeved button up shirt. Sherlock deduced that she had slept rough due to the way her clothes were roughly slung on her body, there were no elegance in the way they fitted on her. Her hair was a little messy and the bags under her eyes was an obvious give away.

"Beth," He said simply. She knew it was his way of saying good morning or hello. So she gave him a slight nod before taking a sip of her coffee and placing it on her desk.

"Is everything okay?" She asked as she sat back down at her chair and looked up into his sky blue eyes. He put his hands in his pockets and without blinking, returned the gaze.

"Can we talk in private?" He asked, and with a nod, she led him to the roof of New Scotland Yard. She liked to go up there and look over London. No one ever went up there and so she could think over things in the peacefulness of her own company. As she walked over to the edge, she sat on the ledge and looked back at Sherlock, waiting for him to say what he wanted to say.

"We may need further assistance with Moriarty," He stood in front of her, his hands remained in his pockets and his face almost blank, no expression shown to give away any emotion or thought. In reality, his mind was racing over the possible outcomes for his childhood friend, if she was to continue the path he is leading her down. In a way, he felt the need to keep her out of it all, but if he did that, then they would get nowhere. Or at least it would make things a little harder. Beth was his doorway to get to Moriarty.

"I'll do whatever I can to help," She replied simply as she looked over the scene before her. Tall buildings of London lined the horizon as the sun shone high above the spots of grey cloud. The sun was warm against her skin, but it did not stop the chilly breeze that brushed over her. She could feel Sherlock's eyes fixed on her as he continued to speak.

"I'll text you when I need your help," With that said, he turned on his heels and began to walk towards the door that lead inside. But Beth quickly spoke out before he could go from her sight.

"Sherlock, I'm sorry for leaving..." Silence bestowed them both, only the sound of sirens and city life filling the air that came between them. When Sherlock did not speak, Beth continued.

"I must have caused you a lot of confusion and pain. If I could turn back time I wou-"

"It is impossible to turn back time, so don't waste your breath. I coped perfectly well without you around, so please stop with the apologies, they are unnecessary." His words hit her hard and she recoiled back slightly. However, she knew all too well when Sherlock was covering up his pain that he felt, and so she relaxed, her face falling lax into that of sorrow.

"What did you do Sherlock?"

"Nothing,"

"Sherlock, please... Or do I have to go to Mycroft and ask him instead," She threatened and she watched as Sherlock's muscles tensed at the sound of his older brother's name.

"Well?"

"Cocaine," Sherlock replied bluntly, his head turned to look over his shoulder at her, his expression almost angry at the fact that she forced him to tell her. Beth's jaw dropped slightly and she began to stutter.

"c-cocaine? Sherlo-Why?"

"I was a teenager, don't most naïve teenagers do silly things when they are alone?" He said, his voice slightly mocking, then quickly he left through the door of the roof and disappeared, leaving Beth standing there, shocked by the ordeal.

* * *

The rest of the day was nothing short of lack of work and people asking her if she was okay. No she was not okay, but she replied to her work colleagues with a small smile and a nod of her head. They could see through her lies, but didn't want to dwell on it.

Finally the clock on the office wall struck 5 o'clock. Beth got her things together: her macbook was in her bag along with her other things she brought with her on a daily basis. She was quite desperate to escape the captivation and isolation she felt whilst at work with the unruly thoughts that flooded her mind. Home is where she craved to be, within the comforts of her own bed, away from the jobs that had overcame her at work. She wanted to be alone to think over everything that she had discovered.

So when she finally cracked open the door to her flat, she walked in desperate to get rid of the bags that were weighing her down. She let them fall from her hands to the wooden floor beneath her feet. A sigh of utter relief escaped her lips as she smelled the familiar scents of her home.

However, a strange but familiar aura tingled within her as though she wasn't alone. Hesitantly, she began to make her way down the hallway towards the bedroom door that was slightly ajar. The light of the bedroom poured into the hallway, revealing a shadow of a figure. Her heart went to her mouth as she quietly crept slower and slower until she finally pushed the door open. The figure turned his head to look at her. His presence now known, Beth's eyes widened in shock.

"M-Moriarty. What are you doing here?" She said with a wavering voice.

"Ah Beth," He began and looked down at the photograph that he was holding between his fingers.

"You failed to tell me just how...close... you are to Sherlock," He chuckled slightly as he looked at the image of Sherlock looking contently at Beth who was smiling into the camera, they were both holding hands.

"You are certainly full of surprises," He let the photograph drop back onto the bed before he began rummaging through the opened drawers of photographs.

"What are you doing here?" She questioned again, this time her voice slightly angered by his intrusion and ignorance to her privacy.

"You know Miss Mcneill, I'd very much like to know what your relationship with Sherlock is," He evaded her question and smiled as he looked at the many photographs of her and Sherlock that she kept in her drawer.

"He's a friend," She simply stated but Moriarty chuckled to her answer.

"Now, now. No need to tell a lie," Moriarty smirked. Beth's mouth opened slightly but she fought the urge to argue back.

"Please leave," She said firmly, but with that said, Moriarty looked over to her, his smirk now gone from his face. He dropped the photograph back down into the drawer and began to walk closer and closer to Beth. She backed up to get away from his increasing closeness but eventually her back pressed against her bedroom wall.

Eventually, he was so close that she could feel his hot breath on her face, making her fluster. His eyes wandered over to her lips as one of his hands trailed up the side of her body and the other rested on the wall beside her head. Her heart began to beat fast and her breath hitched slightly to his touch.

Within a second, he crushed his lips against hers and started a steady rhythm of the heated kiss. He forced her mouth open and his tongue met hers which made her welcomed to the sweetness of his breath upon her own tongue. She returned the kiss as she was slowly losing herself to him. But after a few seconds, her eyes shut tight knowing that it was wrong what they were doing, and so with her hands on his chest, she pushed him away from her.

A smirk and a chuckle was all she received from him before he walked out of the flat, leaving Beth alone in the bedroom. Her head fell back against the wall and her fingers lightly traced the tingling on her lips.


End file.
